19.2 million British households have access to online shops

According to the Office of National Statistics, more UK homes now have access to the internet than ever before.

ONS figures show that 73 percent of homes - about 19.2 million households across the country - now have internet access, meaning more than 30 million adult consumers are able to browse the web for the best deals and products.

Those numbers show a growth of nearly one million households since 2009, when 18.3 million Britons had internet access.

The remaining 9.2 million UK adults lacking internet access are mostly aged over 65, and it has proven relatively difficult for internet providers and etailers to reach this more traditional demographic. The ONS' statistics also illustrate a gap between those with higher education and those without, as those with less formal schooling are less likely to be able to log on to the internet.

For those that do have access to the web, shopping online is one of the most popular past times. The British Population Survey/IMRG Online Access and Shopping Report, conducted earlier this year, found that more than 51 percent of the British population aged 15 and above now shops online.